Profile: Of course, the BABIP jumps out at you when looking at Infante's 2010 line. His .355 BABIP begat the .321 batting average, and probably had something to do with his All-Star appearance -- and maybe even the trade to Florida. When it returns to his career level (.313), he'll be a lot less interesting, since he has very little power (.121 career ISO, .096 in 2010) and doesn't take a walk (6% career walk rate). Then again, he doesn't strike out much (17% career, 13.0% in 2010), and plays mediocre defense at tough positions, so he has real-life value and even fantasy value at shortstop in deeper leagues. But even with more at-bats in Florida, where he's looking at a starting role somewhere on the infield, he might not hit double digits in home runs or steals. He'll still have a decent batting average, but that can only take you so far in fantasy baseball. (Eno Sarris)

The Quick Opinion: With some excellent luck and the ability to play most infield positions competently, maybe you too could be turned into an elite second baseman through the wonders of the Major League Baseball trade market. But would you then be a good starter on your new team?

Profile: Omar Infante followed up a terrific 2010 campaign by regressing almost perfectly to career norms in 2011 at .276/.315/.382 (career .275/.318/.393). He strikes out fairly infrequently, walks even less, and doesn't bring power nor speed to the table. In recent years, he’s demonstrated an ability to hit for a plus average, although that’s heavily reliant on his batting average on balls in play and concomitant hit trajectory. To that end, he was a little unlucky with his .298 BABIP in 2011 as his expected BABIP registered at .332, which is about where he was maintaining from 2008-2010. Infante loses his multiple position eligibility and will only be a second basemen in 2012. That doesn't leave a whole lot to get excited about. (Michael Barr)

The Quick Opinion: If you need batting average and a fist full of runs, Infante might be a decent plug-and-play kind of guy when the need arises. But unless your league runs deep, there are many better options.

Profile: As if being swept by the Giants wasn't enough, Omar Infante suffered a fractured hand during the ninth inning of Game 4. Surgery wasn't required, and he's expected to be ready for next season. Infante had a surprisingly effective year in 2012, clubbing 12 home runs and stealing 17 bases. He faded down the stretch, hitting just .257/.283/.385 in 241 plate appearances with the Tigers. You can make an argument that he's a fringe starter in a 12 team league, but he won't offer a ton of upside. (Chris Cwik)

The Quick Opinion: Even with a little regression, Infante should still have some value next season. That's more a product of how tough it is to get a standout player at second, and less about his ability to perform well. You might be better off gambling on a player with a higher upside at the position.

Profile: Infante enters the offseason coming off the best offensive season of his career. The 32-year-old had been a rarely-useable fantasy starter until he started hitting for more power the past two seasons. His contact-oriented approach makes it likely he'll hit for a decent average, but he doesn't typically provide much in the stolen base department. Infante isn't likely to get any better, but as long as he continues to hit for double-digit home runs, he'll have value. He may have a hard time reaching that benchmark in Kauffman, though. The Royals' stadium is a homer-suppressor, and without at least 10 home runs, that'll be an empty, empty average. (Chris Cwik)

The Quick Opinion: Infante's new-found power has made him a useful fantasy asset over the past two seasons. Unfortunately, he's headed to a pitcher's park. Make him a back-end middle infielder then -- still useful, but not a league-winner.

Profile: After spending years as a decent utility man, Omar Infante turned himself into something like a viable everyday second baseman and had a career-best season on offense in 2013. It was just in time, as he was going into free agency. Since Johnny Giavotella and Christian Colon were not panning out, and the Royals were done with the Chris Getz Experience, they signed Infante to a four-year contract. However one looks at it, Infante bombed in his first season in in Kansas City. Much of his 2013 success was due to a high batting average on balls in play, and the pendulum swung the other way in 2014. More troubling was his drop in power. Infante dealt with shoulder problems all season, so if one thinks they were the source of his difficulties and could clear up, there may be some hope. Any possible positive regression is mitigated by the fact that the player is 33. The Royals might be looking to move him and his contract, so playing time is not a given, depending on the situation he gets traded into. Christian Colon might not be any better, but he would be cheaper. Infante probably needs a bit of luck to hit .280/.320/.390 in 2015 and play 140 games, but it is possible. Given the playing time and decent health, 5-10 steals and 5-10 homers are reasonable. Given the talent pool at second base these days, if Infante is slated to start, he's good enough to be a low-end starting option in AL-only leagues at least, and has utility and bench potential in shallower leagues. Watch for news on his shoulder, though. (Matt Klaassen)

The Quick Opinion: Omar Infante is in his thirties, coming off shoulder problems and his worst offensive season in years. But if he has a starting job as of draft day, he's still good enough to be a useful second base or middle infield option in AL-only leagues.

Profile: It is a testament to the Royals' depth and other decisions that Omar Infante fell off a cliff immediately after they signed him in free agency and they still went to the World Series both years. Infante's 2013 career-year performance with the Tigers was clearly just that, but given his solid performances for years prior and the Royals' gaping hole at second base, four years and $30 million for Infante was not a terrible signing at the time. It would be facile to dismiss Infante's .220/.234/.318 over 455 plate appearances in 2015 as mostly because of the health issues, but, injuries can come back again (especially for a player in his mid-thirties). For another, Infante was dreadful in 2014, as well. That year's .252/.292/.337 was Alcides Escobar-esque. (In case you are confused, that is bad.) Infante has never walked much, but his contact has slipped, too and his power has become miniscule, and he is not going to give a team double-digit steals at this point, either. Something like .260/.300/.360 is doable, but that might even be optimistic. For all that, Infante does have some fantasy relevance -- he is currently slated to be the Royals' starting second baseman. Christian Colon might be a better choice than Infante, but that is far from clear right now. That means that Infante might have value in very deep leagues (thinking larger AL-only leagues with second base and middle infielder slots) if there is no other starter available. In a lot of those leagues, there will be worse players on your bench. Pay attention during Spring Training to see if Christian Colon overtakes him. (Matt Klaassen)

The Quick Opinion: Sure, Omar Infante had a horrible 2015, but if he comes back healthy this year and can return to his 2014 form he'll... still be horrible. For fantasy though, he is currently slated to be the Royals' starting baseman in 2015, which means he will have some value in very deep leagues if one really needs to fill a second baseman/middle infielder slot on draft day.

Profile: Infante’s career as a major league ball player has been over with for a few seasons. In his three years with the Royals, he hit just .238/.269/.328. His sub-.600 on base plus slugging was the league’s lowest among players with at least 1000 plate appearances over that span. He hasn’t hit for power (8 home runs) or shown much speed (11 stolen bases) in that time either. With that in mind, there is zero hope he will now. He signed a minor league contract with the Tigers in the offseason, and while I am not sure if this will be his last attempt at a major league contract, his fantasy value is long gone. (Jeff Zimmerman)

The Quick Opinion: Infante hasn't been a decent fantasy option for years. Find talent elsewhere.

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